Campaigning to change the Employment and Support Allowance system

We believe the eligibility tests for ESA are unfair, crude and simplistic. The system is badly failing people with Parkinson's – but we're campaigning for change.

What's wrong with ESA?

People with severe and progressive Parkinson's are still being put in the ESA group where a 'return to work' is expected - and subjected to repeat assessments of their fitness for work.

Some people on ESA can only claim this vital support for up to a year, due to changes made by the previous Government.

From April 2017, people with Parkinson's who qualify for the 'back-to-work' group for Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) only receive £73.10 per week. This is a reduction of £1,500 a year compared to people who qualified before the change.

A current proposal would see the assessment split in 2, with work coaches, who have little knowledge of Parkinson's, deciding what employment activity a claimant would have to complete.

What changes do we want?

People who are not expected to return to work in the near future should be awarded ESA for longer before having a face-to-face reassessment.

The government should revise the ESA assessment, to make sure it fully captures the impact of Parkinson's on a person's ability to work.

Reintroduce the extra payment for the 'back-to-work' group of ESA.

Ensure that the assessment process is not split in two and that the medical assessors are given ongoing training on how Parkinson's affects people's lives.

How you can help

We're concerned about the impact of the current ESA system on people with Parkinson's, and are collecting evidence to fight for change.

Making Universal credit work for people with Parkinson's

If you are too ill to work, or you have to reduce the amount of work you can do, as a result of Parkinson's then you may be able to claim Universal Credit.

Universal Credit will replace 6 existing benefits with a single payment for those who are out of work or on a low income.

There have been a lot of difficulties introducing Universal Credit. One of the benefits it replaces is income related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA). We believe the eligibility tests for ESA are unfair, crude and simplistic.

We don't believe that Universal Credit is working for those living with Parkinson's so we are campaigning to make it better.

What's wrong with Universal Credit?

The system is complicated and there can be up to 10 stages to making a claim for Universal Credit.

The first payment should arrive 5 weeks after claiming but delays caused by complex cases can mean that people must wait much longer to receive any money.

Long delays waiting for payments can cause financial hardship and stress, which can exacerbate the symptoms of Parkinson's.

Those who apply for Universal Credit will be expected to make their claim online with those unable to claim this way are expected to seek out local services for help.

People with Parkinson's will be expected to sign commitments that require them to perform 'work related activities' that are supposed to help them return to work. Failure to complete these activities can result in sanctions.

Work coaches with no medical background, and only a limited understanding of Parkinson's, will be the ones to decide what 'activities' a person will have to perform.

While Universal Credit is still being rolled out we have the opportunity to highlight how the system is affecting people with Parkinson's, and what needs to change.

What changes do we want?

Simplify the claiming process for Universal Credit so that there will be less opportunity for claims to be delayed.

Introduce automatic payment after 5 weeks, even if a claim has not been fully processed.

Provide more resources to help those who have difficulties with online claims and ensure that if someone identifies as living with Parkinson's then they can make a claim over the telephone.

Introduce a specialist disability claim line for those living with complex progressive conditions.

Allow more claims to be made face-to-face for those who have difficulties with speech.

Increase the number of specialist disability employment advisers to ensure that people living with Parkinson's will be seen by a work coach with a good understanding of the condition.

Increase disability training for anyone who decides which activities will be required for a person living with Parkinson's.

Introduce the right to appeal against a claimant commitment.

Introduce a traffic light system of warnings before applying sanctions to those living with Parkinson's.

How you can help

We're concerned about the impact of the current Universal Credit system on people with Parkinson's and are collecting evidence to fight for change.